


Across the Stars in Blue

by theonlywaterintheforest



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Ficlet Collection, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-03-09 03:27:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3234557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theonlywaterintheforest/pseuds/theonlywaterintheforest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Series of random Doctor Who ficlets. Many Doctors, many companions.</p><p> </p><p>LATEST FICLET: "Clever Little Companion" - Rose went for the key around her neck, only to find it wasn’t there. There was a moment of panic before she remembered she had left it in her bedroom in the Blue Box. </p><p>“Ohhh, he’s gonna kill you,” Mickey taunted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Across the Stars in Blue

**Author's Note:**

> Collection title from "Across the Stars in Blue" by the Oohlas
> 
> \- - -
> 
> Rose went for the key around her neck, only to find it wasn’t there. There was a moment of panic before she remembered she had left it in her bedroom in the Blue Box. 
> 
> “Ohhh, he’s gonna kill you,” Mickey taunted.

“Aren’t you—you know— _warm?_ ”

“Me? Nah,” the Doctor said lightly as he pulled a pair of shades from inside his abandoned jacket pocket and put them on his face. “I took off the coat. I’m fine.”

“But it’s gotta be like, thirty degrees out ‘ere,” Mickey Smith said in disbelief, wiping sweat from his forehead.

“I'd say more like thirty-two point eight,” he said without truly acknowledging Mickey or Rose. He put his hands behind his head and relaxed further into his lounge chair.

They were on Sira, a resort planet in the Thorai system. The whole planet had been artificially modified so it was like summer every day on every point in the planet. It still rained, but just for twenty minutes each night, when most residents and tourists were sleeping. Rose had been begging to go somewhere with warm weather and clear skies and blue water for weeks, and the Doctor finally caved after Mickey started whining, too. Normally she didn’t like it when Mickey agreed with her just for the sake of agreeing, but she was pleased this time.

Rose just rolled her eyes at her silly Doctor as she flipped over onto her stomach and opened her book, one she had gotten from the library on the TARDIS. The Doctor had assured her it was boring and poorly written, but Rose enjoyed the synopsis on the back. What happens with a Yosag (a bull-like race, the Doctor explained) fell in love with one of his people’s enemies (a humanoid species with eight eyes and six limbs) during war between their people? She was about three chapters into it when Mickey slapped a hand on her back without warning. It stung— _way_ more than it should have—and she cried out loudly. Her fellow sunbathers on the Galatha coast all looked irritated at her loud outcry, but it couldn’t be helped. It _hurt._

“Why did you slap me so hard?!” Rose growled through gritted teeth as she tried in vain to look at her back.

“I barely slapped you.”

“He’s right; it was just a tap,” the Doctor interjected.

“How did you see it? You haven’t even moved! I thought you were asleep,” Rose bellowed, still trying to look at her back. “Also, that hurt _way_ too much to be just a tap.”

“It’s because you’re gettin’ sunburnt,” Mickey responded. “I thought I’d tap you to see if you was, and I was righ’.”

“You didn’t put on sunscreen?” the Doctor said with judgment in his tone. He still hadn’t moved. “Bad girl, Rose Tyler.”

“Well, I was excited about the beach, wasn’t I?” she said as she finally got a good look at her back. It was turning pink. 

“Go back to the TARDIS. There should be some in all of the bathrooms,” the Doctor instructed. “Bring it back so you won’t have to get more later.”

Rose stood up quickly and threw on her cover-up with a dramatic flair. “Yes, _Dad.”_

“I’ll go with you,” Mickey added, standing up.

Like he hadn't heard a word Mickey had just said, the Doctor asked, “Why don’t you go with her, Ricky?”

“He doesn’t need to come,” she told the Doctor before turning to Mickey and gritting her teeth. “You don’t _need_ to come.”

 _“_ Well, I think I forgot sum’thin’,” Mickey lied poorly. Rose could see right through it. She glared at him a few seconds but said nothing.

“Why don’t you come with me?” Rose said to the Doctor.  “You know where it’s at, after all.”

“Eh, you’re a big girl. You can manage.”

He still hadn’t moved an inch. She wasn’t entirely convinced he wasn’t just talking in his sleep.

“Are you sure?” She gave him one last chance to change his mind. Not that she hadn’t been hinting or anything.

“Sure. I’m busy here.”

She didn’t know how he was busy at anything: he wasn’t getting a tan with that suit on. Rose rolled her eyes and started off for the TARDIS without waiting for Mickey.

After about five minutes of walking, Rose and Mickey made it to the TARDIS, which was hiding behind a greenhouse. Rose went for the key around her neck, only to find it wasn’t there. There was a moment of panic before she remembered she had left it in her bedroom in the Blue Box.

“Ohhh, he’s gonna kill you,” Mickey taunted. “He told you to leave it on your person at all times, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did,” Rose admitted, frantically checking the pockets of her cover-up dress in case she had placed it in there. She hadn’t. “But I couldn’t just keep it around my neck, could I? I’m not exactly wearing anything that would have covered it. He’s told me before he doesn’t want people to see it. 

“Plus, it’s made of metal. Not exactly the best thing you want on your skin at a sunny beach, yeah?”

“I guess,” Mickey grumbled, kicking at the dirt beneath his sandals. “So, let’s head on back, then.”

Rose ignored him and pushed on the door. It didn’t budge. She tried pulling on the handle and then pushing on it. She banged her fist on the door three times.

“Whoa, you know it’s not gonna open without the key, right?”

“You don’t always need the key to open it,” she explained. “I’ve seen her just…open up when she feels like it. Apparently she doesn’t feel like it today.”

She pushed with all her strength again and Mickey chuckled behind her. “Maybe the Box just doesn’t like you.” 

“Oh, she likes me just fine! Maybe she doesn’t like _you,”_ Rose spat in response before stepping back from the door. She eyed the TARDIS carefully, looking at the windows and the trim, analyzing all the nooks and possible crannies for a key to be hidden. She then took a slow stroll around the whole box, running her finger over every possible hidey-hole.

“You seriously think you’re going to find a magic spot that will just open the Box?” Mickey said incredulously. “C’mon, Rose. Let’s just go get the Doctor.” 

“There has to be a spare,” Rose said softly, determined to find it.

For a second, Mickey didn’t respond. Rose thought maybe he had decided to go back on his own. He must have not been able to believe what he had just heard, because after ten seconds of silence he finally spoke. “Y-you’re jokin’, right?”

“I’m not.” Rose crouched down and ran a finger along the bottom of the door.

“You really think he’d just leave a key to a powerful box that can travel space and time out in the open like that.” The skepticism was heavy in his words.

However, Mickey stayed with her as she analyzed all four sides, bottom to top, leaving nothing unchecked. She had even tried tapping on the windows in a random pattern, thinking of all the movies she’s seen where tapping on random objects like bricks or stones would command a door to open. Mickey even suggested she shout “Open sesame”. She ignored that suggestion.

She had just risen up to the tips of her toes to check the TARDIS’s police box sign when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned over her shoulder to see the Doctor approaching them.

“Rose left her key inside!” Mickey pointed out quickly, looking to make sure he didn’t get blamed for this. 

“I thought about that,” the Doctor responded. “I’m glad you left it—“

“What?!”

“—because then everyone would have seen it. Can't be too careful. Besides, it likely would have burnt you.”

Rose peered over her shoulder and shouted, “Ha!” as she jumped so she could run her hand over the top ledge of the sign. Her finger brushed against something and she gasped.  The Doctor seemingly registered at that precise moment what she was doing, and he was beside her in an instant. “No, don’t—“

She jumped again and swatted at the object, which tumbled off the ledge and to the dirt below. There it was: a shiny key, matching her own inside the Box. She slowly looked up to look at the Doctor, a slow, sly smile creeping across her face. “I found your spare.”

“You weren’t supposed to find that,” the Doctor said seriously.

“What? Is that ‘hidden’? That’s supposed to be a grand secret?”

“Seriously, Doctor, that’s an awful hiding spot,” Mickey piped in, his focus still on the metal object in the dirt.

“Well, no one’s ever found it before!” the Doctor exclaimed, quickly reaching down to pick it up and pocket it. “Six-hundred-plus years and no one has ever found it before, you clever little….companion.”

Rose swayed back and forth, taunting him for his poor hiding spot. “I found the spare, I found the spare…”

Without taking his (incredibly serious) eyes off of her, he unlocked the door and threw it open before pushing her inside. “Go get your sunscreen and hurry back before someone gets our spot on the beach.”

“While I’m getting it, think of a better hiding spot, would you?”

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this Buzzfeed post](http://www.buzzfeed.com/kmallikarjuna/fyi-the-tardis-is-incredibly-easy-to-break-into#.eaNo54yDK). I really hope the Doctor isn't that careless with such a valuable technology...


End file.
